Oh Snap 1

Like a lot of people around the world, I have been reading about the shooting in Arizona. What a tragedy. I can't even imagine what the families of those wounded and killed are going through. However, I do not want to dwell on the sadness of the event or simply the fact that the event happened. I would like to explore what I believe are the reasons behind the shooting.
1. Gun control is not the answer. While I do not personally own a gun, and don't really ever plan on owning one (shooting pop cans is about as far as I have ever gone or will ever go), I do believe that gun control isn't the end all be all answer to the recent shootings. If you are going to say that guns are the reason people get shot you may as well also say that food is the reason people get fat. It is not the machine that does it, it is the action of the person behind the machine. It is not the food that makes a person fat, it is the fact that the person consumes the food that makes them fat.
I do believe that there should be a somewhat extensive process to get a gun, at least for the first time. I don't think we should just be giving guns out to anyone and everyone. But I also don't think responsible gun owners should have to give up their rights.
2. Video games and television is not the reason. I will agree with anyone out there who says that television and video games have gotten more and more violent. However, saying that video games, music or television is the reason behind a shooting is ridiculous. While it may have a slight influence on the mindset of someone, it is not the sole reason. Even if we were to ban these video games, and this music, and these tv shows, people would still shoot each other. And if you think about it, there were Westerns long ago with violence and death in them. Cowboys were what every little boy wanted to be. The little boys of yesterday grew up play shooting each other with their hands. Little boys will take anything and turn it into a gun.
What needs to happen in these situations is not some sort of attempted quick fix. What needs to happen is that parents need to spend time with their kids. Parents need to teach their children how to think clearly and logically and parents need to teach their children how to cope with their feelings in ways other than violence.
I am not blaming the parents of the shooter, as I do not know what the family situation was like or is like. Sometimes people just can't think straight or are irrational about situations like this. But my guess is that this kid didn't quite understand how to think logically about this situation. And because he did not know how to correctly cope with his feelings or be rational about situations, people died, and people were seriously injured.
However, my point in all of this is that we can't blame the machine, or the food, or the video game, or the music. We need to blame the person behind the machine or eating the food and their illogical thoughts or their being irrational. Sorry America, but your I want it now culture and your fast food desires will not work for a quick fix here. It's going to take a long time to heal this community.